Plenty of Mainers have stories to tell, either as a hobby, or as a new, cutting-edge livelihood. In this occasional series, Spectrum News Maine profiles local hosts who are expressing themselves through podcasting.
In same ways Rich Bateman, 60, of Portland, and Kevin Sullivan, 57, of Windham, are two of a kind: Both grew up with a love for baseball, and both developed a taste for more sophisticated craft beers at about the same as adults.
It’s no surprise, then, that the pair have become close friends and now celebrate two of their biggest passions in the podcast, “Maine Beer Geeks: Hardball and Hops.” The program combines a refined discussion of artisanal beer with an encyclopedic knowledge of America’s favorite pastime. The unscripted programs stretch from 45 minutes to an hour and a half, all with the casual air of an afternoon at Fenway Park.
“The whole key for the podcast for us is to be ourselves,” Bateman said.
The baseball part of the equation came easy for both men, going back to their respective childhoods, Bateman grew up in Windsor, Vermont., and Sullivan in Portland. Bateman said he favored playing baseball, but he was an active kid all around.
“It was everything. I played every sport,” he said.
For Sullivan, the whole ballpark experience was what drew him in.
“There’s nothing better than sitting in the stands on a hot summer day and watching a ball game,” he said.
Bateman, after moving to Portland in 1983, worked as an auto dealership manager before opening a print shop in South Portland. Sullivan has worked various jobs over the years in marketing and customer service. The two met in 1986 while working for Jolly John Auto City in Saco.
“We found out really quickly that we were both really passionate about baseball,” Bateman said.
The men developed a passion for craft beer separately — but around the same time. In the mid 1990s, Bateman tried Allagash White, and was hooked. For Sullivan, tasting a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in 1999 changed his palette.
“That was the beer that really pushed me to stop drinking other beers. I said, if this is what beer can taste like, I’m in!” Sullivan said.
The pair began visiting craft breweries to sample different artisanal beers, and even dabbled in home-brewing. Like all longtime friends, they casually discussed projects and ventures they could go do together.
“First it was, let’s start a band, then it was, let’s start a bar, different age groups do different things. Then it became, let’s do a brewery,” Sullivan said.
Bateman quickly added that they realized the latter was a bad idea, given the work involved.
“Thankfully we talked ourselves out of that really quickly,” he joked.
But the idea of working together nagged at them, until Sullivan came up with the idea for a podcast in 2019.
“(We said), why not do what we’re doing anyways? When we go out to a tasting room, we sit and drink beer and talk baseball anyway, so why not make a podcast about it?” he said.
That was three years ago. Today, the pair has produced more than 74 episodes that have been downloaded more than 5,000 times. So far, the duo has not made any money off the venture but, Bateman said, that’s not the point.
“We joke that someday we’re going to get serious and go get a sponsor, but it’s just a hobby,” he said.
Bateman said he loves the idea of traveling to breweries throughout New England, often recording podcasts along the way. He loves seeing the variations in flavor from brewer to brewer.
“That’s been a hugely fascinating part for me. It’s like watching a master chef,” Bateman said.
One of the more memorable episodes came in November of last year —on Bateman’s birthday — when they recorded at Allagash Brewery in Portland and met the brewery’s founder, Rob Tod.
“He was 10 times more than we expected. He was awesome,” Bateman said.
Celebrating craft brews from New England is a big part of the podcast — Bateman calls himself and Sullivan “ambassadors” for the craft — but baseball remains a passion for both men. When asked, they each rattle off names of players they’ve met at card shows and other events. Sullivan got to meet his childhood hero, Fred Lynn, at a show in Augusta in 1990 (“I felt like a 12-year-old kid!” he said), and once said hello to Johnny Bench. Batemen mentioned greats like Carl Yastrzemski and Luis Tiant.
So far, the pair have not interviewed any baseball players on the podcast, but that remains an ambition for them.
“That’s a hope, that we’ll have somebody,” Sullivan said.
“Maine Beer Geeks: Hardball and Hops” is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible and other podcast providers.